The Switchbacks head to Oklahoma for their first midweek USL Championship match of the season as they face the Tulsa Roughnecks FC on Wednesday evening at ONEOK Field. Saturday evening saw the Switchbacks draw 2-2 with the Portland Timbers 2 in Oregon after a wild second half that included another penalty kick save from the Switchbacks’ Abraham Rodriguez.
Jordan Burt had given the Switchbacks the lead at Merlo Field in the Rose City against T2 with a penalty kick after Shane Malcolm had been hauled down, only for Foster Langsdorf to equalize for the hosts. Jordan Schweitzer looked to have won the game for the Switchbacks with a brilliant 84th minute finish, only for Langsdorf to secure the draw for T2 just two minutes later.
“I think we dropped two points in Portland but in the end, we got a result and that’s what we’ve always talked about needing to do on the road,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Steve Trittschuh on Monday morning. “From what I’ve seen initially, Tulsa have scored a lot of goals on re-starts so we have to prepare for that. It’s a smaller field so we have to be smart. The time and travel is kind of ridiculous. We didn’t get home until 6pm, the players have a quick regeneration today, then we leave at 6am tomorrow for Tulsa. We’ll have to make a few changes and I hope they’ll step up. The guys we bring in will be fresh and we need that.”
“The key is to take care of our bodies,” said Jordan Schweitzer at a frigid Weidner Field on Monday. “We’re here today to get our legs back. At the end of the day, we just have to deal with it and go to Tulsa and perform against a good team.”
“We have to approach Tulsa with the right mentality,” said Switchbacks captain Jordan Burt. “We know they can score from set pieces. We have to make sure we don’t foul them in dangerous areas, and we have to stay switched on. Our guys have got to win that battle.”
Roughnecks Head Coach Michael Nsien’s team have not played since falling 3-1 to Fresno FC at Chukchansi Park on April 13th. Portuguese striker Janú Silva scored the Roughnecks’ lone goal of the game with a towering header in the 39th minute after a crisp cross from Cristhian Altamirano on the right wing.
Brazil’s Luca Lobo tops Tulsa’s stat line and is tied for the USL’s lead in goals with 7 in 2019. Fellow Brazilian Rodrigo da Costa stands alone atop the Roughnecks’ stat chart in assists with 5, with former Switchbacks forward AJ Ajeakwa having notched an assist in his four appearances this season. Another past member of the Switchbacks, Nigerian striker Tobenna Uzo, has found his opportunities limited in 2019 with the Roughnecks, as Uzo has logged just 44 minutes from Tulsa’s bench.
“Lobo is a left-back with that many goals – it just shows they score a lot from their re-starts,” said Trittschuh. “For me looking at them, Tulsa are very athletic as a team so we’ve got to make sure we track them. It will be important for us to create space on that field that’s just 70 yards wide.”
Tulsa have won their last two matches at ONEOK Field by a combined score of 6-1. On March 23rd, Tulsa blitzed the Tacoma Defiance 4-0 behind a brace from Luca Lobo, and the following Friday the Roughnecks defeated Rio Grande Valley FC 2-1 as Fabián Bastidas scored the winner in first half stoppage time.
The Roughnecks will face the Switchbacks on Movie Night at Weidner Field on Saturday, July 13th, with the Better Business Bureau sponsoring the 3rd Poster Giveaway of 2019.
Following the tilt in Tulsa on Wednesday night, the Switchbacks will return to Weidner Field on May 4th as they host USL Championship newcomers El Paso Locomotive FC on $3 margarita night. Pikes Peak National Bank will be sponsoring a bucket hat giveaway for the first 1,000 fans at Weidner Field.
The Switchbacks head to Oklahoma for their first midweek USL Championship match of the season as they face the Tulsa Roughnecks FC on Wednesday evening at ONEOK Field. Saturday evening saw the Switchbacks draw 2-2 with the Portland Timbers 2 in Oregon after a wild second half that included another penalty kick save from the Switchbacks’ Abraham Rodriguez.
Jordan Burt had given the Switchbacks the lead at Merlo Field in the Rose City against T2 with a penalty kick after Shane Malcolm had been hauled down, only for Foster Langsdorf to equalize for the hosts. Jordan Schweitzer looked to have won the game for the Switchbacks with a brilliant 84th minute finish, only for Langsdorf to secure the draw for T2 just two minutes later.
“I think we dropped two points in Portland but in the end, we got a result and that’s what we’ve always talked about needing to do on the road,” said Switchbacks Head Coach Steve Trittschuh on Monday morning. “From what I’ve seen initially, Tulsa have scored a lot of goals on re-starts so we have to prepare for that. It’s a smaller field so we have to be smart. The time and travel is kind of ridiculous. We didn’t get home until 6pm, the players have a quick regeneration today, then we leave at 6am tomorrow for Tulsa. We’ll have to make a few changes and I hope they’ll step up. The guys we bring in will be fresh and we need that.”
“The key is to take care of our bodies,” said Jordan Schweitzer at a frigid Weidner Field on Monday. “We’re here today to get our legs back. At the end of the day, we just have to deal with it and go to Tulsa and perform against a good team.”
“We have to approach Tulsa with the right mentality,” said Switchbacks captain Jordan Burt. “We know they can score from set pieces. We have to make sure we don’t foul them in dangerous areas, and we have to stay switched on. Our guys have got to win that battle.”
Roughnecks Head Coach Michael Nsien’s team have not played since falling 3-1 to Fresno FC at Chukchansi Park on April 13th. Portuguese striker Janú Silva scored the Roughnecks’ lone goal of the game with a towering header in the 39th minute after a crisp cross from Cristhian Altamirano on the right wing.
Brazil’s Luca Lobo tops Tulsa’s stat line and is tied for the USL’s lead in goals with 7 in 2019. Fellow Brazilian Rodrigo da Costa stands alone atop the Roughnecks’ stat chart in assists with 5, with former Switchbacks forward AJ Ajeakwa having notched an assist in his four appearances this season. Another past member of the Switchbacks, Nigerian striker Tobenna Uzo, has found his opportunities limited in 2019 with the Roughnecks, as Uzo has logged just 44 minutes from Tulsa’s bench.
“Lobo is a left-back with that many goals – it just shows they score a lot from their re-starts,” said Trittschuh. “For me looking at them, Tulsa are very athletic as a team so we’ve got to make sure we track them. It will be important for us to create space on that field that’s just 70 yards wide.”
Tulsa have won their last two matches at ONEOK Field by a combined score of 6-1. On March 23rd, Tulsa blitzed the Tacoma Defiance 4-0 behind a brace from Luca Lobo, and the following Friday the Roughnecks defeated Rio Grande Valley FC 2-1 as Fabián Bastidas scored the winner in first half stoppage time.
The Roughnecks will face the Switchbacks on Movie Night at Weidner Field on Saturday, July 13th, with the Better Business Bureau sponsoring the 3rd Poster Giveaway of 2019.
Following the tilt in Tulsa on Wednesday night, the Switchbacks will return to Weidner Field on May 4th as they host USL Championship newcomers El Paso Locomotive FC on $3 margarita night. Pikes Peak National Bank will be sponsoring a bucket hat giveaway for the first 1,000 fans at Weidner Field.
